WWE Looking for WrestleMania 38 'Major Attraction' Following Shane McMahon's Departure

By Connor Casey

Shane McMahon was suddenly let go by the WWE last week and his departure has forced WWE to shake up plans for WrestleMania 38. Various reports about who McMahon was potentially going to face have popped up over the last week (Seth Rollins or Austin Theory), and @WrestleVotes reported on Tuesday that WWE viewed McMahon's match as one of the higher bouts on the WrestleMania card. The account wrote, "Source states the spot Shane McMahon was going to have on the WrestleMania card was to be positioned near the top. Therefore, WWE now needs a new 'major attraction' matchup outside of the titles. This goes w/o saying, but the WM card is still in complete flux. It's quite amazing."

Two matches have already been confirmed for WrestleMania 38 — Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship. The event is scheduled for April 2-3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Dallas), Texas. 

Reigns vs. Lesnar is the obvious headliner for the event, even though it's a match that has headlined WrestleMania twice in the past seven years and has been featured on numerous pay-per-views (most recently Crown Jewel last October). And yet, Paul Heyman has maintained the matchup is a bigger box office draw right now than Reigns vs. The Rock. 

"Number one, I would want to spend a lot more time on that storyline instead of rushing it," Heyman said in an interview with Ariel Helwani last November. "Five months. For something that enormous, I would want more time in it. Number two, I think Dwayne's schedule for next year is in place and he's not available. Even if he was, I don't think it would be bigger box office at the moment, if you look at the trajectory right now, isn't it Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns?"

"Did it end the storyline or did it make it more compelling and more intriguing? Or Big E? Or Drew McIntyre? I can certainly make the case for Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre as well," he added. "Is there a time and a place for Roman Reigns vs. The Rock? Absolutely. Is Hollywood the place to do it? Seems like a natural place for The Rock to main event his final main event at WrestleMania. I don't think this coming April is the place for Roman Reigns vs. Dwayne Johnson."

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